How to increase solar panel output amps

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  • shawnmich
    Junior Member
    • Feb 2013
    • 2

    How to increase solar panel output amps

    I am using 150 watt solar panel with 60ah deep cycle battery with 1.5 kw inverter with surge power 3.0kw..i want to increase the charging rate so am thinking maybe i use current booster to increase the solar panel amps by connecting the current booster to the solar panel, then the output of the current booster to the solar charger controller which will now increase the output amps to 18am.
    The solar panel is 18v 8.0 amp...but the current booster is 12v-24v, 10-19 amps...
    Can anyone give suggestion about this......is this possible?
    can it works?
    urgent response please.
  • ILFE
    Solar Fanatic
    • Sep 2011
    • 236

    #2
    Um, crazy question. Why not just add more panels in parallel if you wish to increase your ampere output from the array?

    Of course, if you are going to try to put 18 amperes into a 60AH battery, that is going to be a tad too much. So, you are going to need more AH of storage as well.
    Paul

    Comment

    • jony101
      Member
      • Jun 2014
      • 99

      #3
      I had a low voltage 120 watt kycora panel, I tried both a pwm and mppt controllers on it, with either controller I never got more than 7 amps charging. Mppt needs high voltage panels or lots of panels connected together to work efficiently.

      With a low voltage panel your limited to amps. An mppt controller wont have the excess voltage to give you extra amps. Even with a current booster you wont get more amps than the panel is able to produce and 150 watts will never produce 18 amps, even a 240 watt panel connected to mppt (which I have maxes out at 12 amps but I seen it go as high as 15 amps).

      Comment

      • mapmaker
        Solar Fanatic
        • Aug 2012
        • 353

        #4
        Originally posted by shawnmich
        i want to increase the charging rate so am thinking maybe i use current booster to increase the solar panel amps by connecting the current booster to the solar panel, then the output of the current booster to the solar charger controller which will now increase the output amps
        The correct way to do what you want is to replace your charge controller with an MPPT type of controller. In your case, it will not be cost effective to do so.... it would be cheaper to just buy another solar panel, as 'livingincebu' suggested.

        Also, unless your battery is an AGM type battery (which can handle higher charge currents), you already have an adequate charging rate.

        Regarding your question about boosting amps... you will never be able to exceed the output watts of your panel. And you will rarely, if ever, get the rated power from your panel. Your panel will produce up to 18 volts and up to 8 amps. 18 volts X 8 amps = 144 watts. That represents the max power possible. Typically, you get about 75% of that.

        If you use an electronic device to increase the output current (amps) it will come at the expense of reducing the output voltage. There is no way to get volts X amps to equal more than the 150 watt rating of your panel.

        As I mentioned, you could use an MPPT controller to decrease the the input voltage a bit so it better matches the battery voltage. That would give you a corresponding increase in amps to the battery, but it is usually not cost effective to do so in a system as small as yours.

        --mapmaker
        ob 3524, FM60, ePanel, 4 L16, 4 x 235 watt panels

        Comment

        • inter
          Junior Member
          • Jun 2014
          • 2

          #5
          There are two boosters to increase I-V characteristic.
          One of them is reflector (mirror, Al foil) and another - sun tracker.

          Comment

          • russ
            Solar Fanatic
            • Jul 2009
            • 10360

            #6
            Originally posted by inter
            There are two boosters to increase I-V characteristic.
            One of them is reflector (mirror, Al foil) and another - sun tracker.
            The reflector increases the cell heat load and will require cooling - not practical

            The tracker is expensive - better to just use a few more panels in the array
            [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

            Comment

            • Sunking
              Solar Fanatic
              • Feb 2010
              • 23301

              #7
              Originally posted by shawnmich
              I am using 150 watt solar panel with 60ah deep cycle battery with 1.5 kw inverter with surge power 3.0kw.
              First a 1/5 Kw inverter with a 12 volt 60 AH battery and 150 panel is a huge mismatch and not compatible. Rule of thumb is Panel Wattage = Inverter wattage (or 1:1 ratio) for FLA batteries, and 1:2 ratio for AGM . A 150 watt panel, and a 150 to 300 watt inverter. You are @ 1:10 ratio. No wonder you are having problems

              Panels, charge controller, battery, and load device (inverter in your case) all have to be matched up, and the key is the batteries. If using Flooded batteries the maximum current drain is C/8, and C/4 for AGM. So you have a 60 AH battery. That means based on the battery alone if it is FLA can only handle 7.5 amps x 12 volts = 90 watt inverter, or if AGM 180 watts. You have 1500 watts right?

              For a 1500 watt inverter really requires 24 volt battery @ 24 volt 500 AH battery, with a 1500 watt panel and 60 amp MPPT controller.

              Turn this around based on your 150 watt battery panel the maximum is a 10 amp PWM controller, 12 volt 60 AH FLA battery, and a 100 watt inverter. Or if you used a MPPT controller with a 150 watt panel can support up to a 12 volt 100 AH battery, 15 amp MPPT controller, and a 150 watt inverter.
              MSEE, PE

              Comment

              • ILFE
                Solar Fanatic
                • Sep 2011
                • 236

                #8
                Originally posted by shawnmich
                urgent response please.
                I guess the urgency went away?
                Paul

                Comment

                • Ex to U
                  Junior Member
                  • Oct 2018
                  • 11

                  #9
                  Originally posted by ILFE
                  Um, crazy question. Why not just add more panels in parallel if you wish to increase your ampere output from the array?

                  Of course, if you are going to try to put 18 amperes into a 60AH battery, that is going to be a tad too much. So, you are going to need more AH of storage as well.
                  I'm doing a project, to get students to understand solar, but after trying to answer certain questions they had. I had to go looking for a better understanding, so here's the question we have hundreds and literally thousands of cheap solar lights we have taken apart for this project. We want to know if you add enough of these types of solar which doesn't put out very much power is it even possible to run an entire home. And how would you go about wiring them up to make bigger and stronger solar panels. If you answer with a satisfactory answer we will let you know about our secret little experiment, and I think if it's possible to add more solar to get more power even more amps then you're going to love what we're doing here with this new type of Technology made from the cheapest solar cells on the planet. Yes this is a mystery, what can you actually run with such a low powered solar cell and can you increase it to actually do something it was not intended to do, this is experiment to understand(Ex to U)

                  Comment

                  • Ex to U
                    Junior Member
                    • Oct 2018
                    • 11

                    #10
                    Originally posted by mapmaker

                    The correct way to do what you want is to replace your charge controller with an MPPT type of controller. In your case, it will not be cost effective to do so.... it would be cheaper to just buy another solar panel, as 'livingincebu' suggested.

                    Also, unless your battery is an AGM type battery (which can handle higher charge currents), you already have an adequate charging rate.

                    Regarding your question about boosting amps... you will never be able to exceed the output watts of your panel. And you will rarely, if ever, get the rated power from your panel. Your panel will produce up to 18 volts and up to 8 amps. 18 volts X 8 amps = 144 watts. That represents the max power possible. Typically, you get about 75% of that.

                    If you use an electronic device to increase the output current (amps) it will come at the expense of reducing the output voltage. There is no way to get volts X amps to equal more than the 150 watt rating of your panel.

                    As I mentioned, you could use an MPPT controller to decrease the the input voltage a bit so it better matches the battery voltage. That would give you a corresponding increase in amps to the battery, but it is usually not cost effective to do so in a system as small as yours.

                    --mapmaker
                    I'm doing a project, to get students to understand solar, but after trying to answer certain questions they had. I had to go looking for a better understanding, so here's the question we have hundreds and literally thousands of cheap solar lights we have taken apart for this project. We want to know if you add enough of these types of solar which doesn't put out very much power is it even possible to run an entire home. And how would you go about wiring them up to make bigger and stronger solar panels. If you answer with a satisfactory answer we will let you know about our secret little experiment, and I think if it's possible to add more solar to get more power even more amps then you're going to love what we're doing here with this new type of Technology made from the cheapest solar cells on the planet. Yes this is a mystery, what can you actually run with such a low powered solar cell and can you increase it to actually do something it was not intended to do, this is experiment to understand(Ex to U)

                    Comment

                    • ILFE
                      Solar Fanatic
                      • Sep 2011
                      • 236

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Ex to U
                      If you answer with a satisfactory answer we will let you know about our secret little experiment...
                      Firstly, I have no idea why you would post the same reply twice. Secondly, I don't care to know about your "secret littke experiment". It sounds as though most of us here have forgotten more than you will ever know about solar energy.

                      Paul

                      Comment

                      • Ex to U
                        Junior Member
                        • Oct 2018
                        • 11

                        #12
                        First thing I'm brand new to this message board, don't quite understand how it works so if I posted it twice it was an accident. Second thing you could have just simply said you didn't want to answer the question you didn't have to be so nasty about it to a newbie. Third of all I will report this to whatever Authority that governs these boards is this is the welcome newbies have to endure then it's not worth the effort I'll go elsewhere

                        Comment

                        • bcroe
                          Solar Fanatic
                          • Jan 2012
                          • 5203

                          #13
                          If you understand the performance of solar cells it is possible to wire an unlimited number of them
                          in series-parallel combinations to increase energy collected. The general rules are that cells with
                          the same current rating may be efficient wired in series, and cells with similar voltage ratings may
                          be efficiently wired in parallel. There are practical considerations such as safe voltages and currents
                          with proper insulation and over current protection, wiring losses, weather tolerance, and shade.

                          Practical systems generally simplify the above problems by using the largest cells practical, half
                          a foot square today, packaged for an outdoor life of decades. Bruce Roe

                          Comment

                          • mapmaker
                            Solar Fanatic
                            • Aug 2012
                            • 353

                            #14
                            Originally posted by bcroe
                            Practical systems generally simplify the above problems by
                            Ex to U,
                            the key word is 'Practical'. What you are suggesting is like trying to replace a 5 hp lawnmower engine with five 1 hp engines. It can be done, but even if you already had the five 1 hp engines, it would be cheaper to buy a single 5 hp engine.

                            --mapmaker
                            ob 3524, FM60, ePanel, 4 L16, 4 x 235 watt panels

                            Comment

                            • Ex to U
                              Junior Member
                              • Oct 2018
                              • 11

                              #15
                              Originally posted by mapmaker

                              Ex to U,
                              the key word is 'Practical'. What you are suggesting is like trying to replace a 5 hp lawnmower engine with five 1 hp engines. It can be done, but even if you already had the five 1 hp engines, it would be cheaper to buy a single 5 hp engine.

                              --mapmaker
                              Thank you, cheap is not what we're trying to do here, it's an experiment to see what can be done also a teaching tool for people to understand exactly what parallel and series actually mean. Most people won't tell you that solar cells are just smaller cells within themselves making one big huge cell. Understanding how you got the size sale in the first place is stuff that people normally overlooked when trying to understand solar cells, all the little details are important and what we are asking about. Keep in mind I always keep my promises so I'm sending you the beginning paper on this new technology that we are developing it looks promising, but we are still learning the basics which is hard to learn this my smaller details. Please take a look at what we're designing and leave a comment it doesn't matter if it's positive or negative, it only matters at the end of this experiment what we learn out of it.
                              Learn about little or no one knows about, things that corporations and governments really don't want you to know because it affects their bottom line.

                              Comment

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